System and method to control sending of unsolicited communications relating to a plurality of listings in a network-based commerce facility

ABSTRACT

A system and method to control sending of unsolicited communications over a network is provided. Typically, the network is the Internet and the system defines a SPAM prevention tool for users of an on-line service, such as an on-line bidding service. Users may contact an intended recipient with a contact form, which is forwarded to the recipient&#39;s e-mail address by an on-line service provider. A link accessible from a Web site allows recipients of unsolicited e-mail to complain to the on-line service provider. Sanctions are implemented against the sender of unsolicited e-mail based on the frequency of complaints. When the complaint level against a sender reaches a certain threshold, the sender is unable to use the contact form for a predetermined time period.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/242,026, entitled “SPAM PREVENTION TOOL”, filed onOct. 19, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to electronic mail and, moreparticularly, to a system and method to control sending of unsolicitedelectronic mail over a network.

BACKGROUND

There is no question that the explosive growth of the Internet in recentyears has changed classic business and economic models. One area inwhich this change has been noteworthy is in the use of mass marketing byelectronic mail (“e-mail”). This form of marketing has become anattractive advertising medium for businesses and other organizationsbecause it allows them to reach large numbers of consumers at minimalcost.

Nevertheless, the use of e-mail in this manner is often problematic forthe recipients of these messages. On the Internet, SPAM is the term usedto describe useless or unsolicited e-mail messages. Typically, the SPAMis of narrow interest. The aspiration of the “spammer” is to make aprofit, even if only a small number of recipients respond. The sendingand receiving of SPAM is especially onerous for online service providersbecause it reduces user satisfaction in their services. SPAM also wastesnetwork resources and people's time.

Various methods exist to filter or otherwise counter unsolicited e-mailmessages. For example, filtering techniques exist to block e-mailmessages received from addresses that are sources of unsolicited e-mail.One problem associated with filtering techniques, however, is that thesource of the unsolicited e-mail can easily change their address tobypass the system. Another problem associated with filtering techniquesis that they often filter legitimate bulk e-mail messages that could beof interest to the user. Moreover, filtering techniques are oftenineffective against robotic delivery programs that send out thousands ofjunk e-mail messages and create nonexistent source addresses to preventdetection. The cost of monitoring robotic delivery programs is usuallyhigh.

Although functionality exists in the prior art to allow recipients tocomplain about unsolicited e-mail, the process can be burdensome andtime-consuming for the user. In addition, to date there has been littlefunctionality to monitor complaints against particular sources and toeffectively curtail the sending of unsolicited e-mails from thesesources based on this monitoring function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided asystem and method to control sending of unsolicited communications overa network. The system may define a SPAM inhibiting tool for usersengaged in transactions over a network such as the Internet. Users of anon-line service, for example an on-line commerce service, who areinterested in a non-transactional communication (e.g., a communicationwherein the sending user is not engaged in a bidding transaction with arecipient user) with another user are provided with a proprietarycontact form that allows them to contact other users without the senderviewing the e-mail address of the would-be recipient. This form appearsonly in cases where a user is contacting another and where the intendedrecipient is not involved in an active transaction (e.g., already bid onan item listed by the intended recipient) or a closed-successfultransaction with the sender. In cases where an active transaction isinvolved, a seller may view all bidder e-mail addresses and bidders mayview the seller's e-mail address.

In another aspect of the present invention, a network link is providedthat allows recipients of forwarded messages to tag an incident as SPAMand to provide senders with feedback. For instance, users who click onthe link receive a confirmation prompt advising them of the SPAM policy,what reporting of the incident means to the recipient and the sender,and the ability to classify the reason for the complaint. In a furtheraspect of the present invention, the system monitors the number of SPAMcomplaints received by a user and triggers events (e.g., inability touse the on-line services, warning flags, suspension flags, etc.) basedon thresholds and displays for a user complaint level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and notlimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereference numerals refer to similar elements and which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary web-based facility in the formof a network-based auction facility according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a database diagram illustrating an exemplary database,maintained by and accessed via a database engine server, that at leastpartially implements and supports a SPAM inhibiting tool in the auctionfacility according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the user table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A shows a sample form that allows users of an on-line service toengage in non-transactional communications with each other using e-mailaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B shows a sample form that appears on a user's screen when a useris a party to a transaction with another user according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a sample form for reporting a complaint regarding anunsolicited e-mail to a web-based commerce facility, according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a matrix of exemplary sanctions implemented againstusers who SPAM other users of an on-line service according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a diagram of a user-to-user non-transactional communicationflow according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7B-1 and 7B-2 combined show a diagram of the user-to-usernon-transactional communication flow of FIG. 7A including implementationof a SPAM prevention feature;

FIG. 8 shows a sample form that allows a user of an on-line service toask a seller a question without revealing the seller's e-mail address tothe user according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a computer system connected to multipleclient computer systems on a network; and

FIG. 10 is a high-level block diagram of an exemplary computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein is a system and method to control sending ofunsolicited communications over a network. The system and method maythus define a SPAM prevention tool. Although well-suited for use inon-line commerce services, the SPAM prevention tool described below mayalso be utilized for other types of applications, such as simple on-linetransactions (e.g., purchasing goods and services from a Web site). Assuch, throughout the following description specific details are setforth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of theinvention. However, the invention may be practiced without theseparticulars. In other instances, well known elements have not been shownor described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presentinvention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

SPAM concerns are a major complaint received by on-line serviceproviders. Typically, hundreds of requests by users to be unregisteredfrom these services are received each month as a result of SPAM. Thesecomplaints are especially problematic for on-line commerce services,where individual buyers and sellers register on a Web site to buy andsell or to simply communicate with one another regarding topics ofmutual interest or to petition one another for information. Bulletinboards or public forums encourage open communication between users. Thecornerstone of these communities is the ability to communicate online(i.e., via e-mail). Therefore, on-line service providers are in theuncertain position of both trying to facilitate communication amongusers while simultaneously trying to prevent users from sending junke-mail to one another.

What is needed is a system and method that allows users of on-lineservices to communicate with one another without viewing contactinformation (e.g., e-mail addresses) and functionality that allowsrecipients of unsolicited communications (e.g., e-mail) efficiently tocomplain about the incident. It would also be helpful if functionalityexisted to monitor the number of SPAM complaints received by a user andfor the system to trigger events, such as the inability to use thesystem for a predetermined time period or to issue warning flags to auser based on thresholds.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of an exemplaryweb-based facility in the form of a network-based commerce or auctionfacility according to one embodiment of the present invention. While anexemplary embodiment of the present invention is described within thecontext of an auction facility, it will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that the invention will find application in many differenttypes of computer-based, and network-based, commerce facilities.

The auction facility has a system 10 including one or more of a numberof types of front-end servers, namely page servers 12 that deliver webpages (e.g., markup language documents), picture servers 14 thatdynamically deliver images to be displayed within Web pages, listingservers 16, ISAPI/CGI servers 18 that provide an intelligent interfaceto the back-end of the system 10, and search servers 20 that handlesearch requests to the system 10. A communication server arrangement inthe form of e-mail servers 21 provide, inter alia, automated e-mailcommunications to users of the system 10.

The back-end servers include a database engine server 22, a search indexserver 24 and a credit card database server 26, each of which maintainsand facilitates access to a respective database. The back-end serversare also shown to include a number of administrative applications orfunctions 28 that are described in further detail below.

The network-based auction system 10 may be accessed by a client program30, such as a browser (e.g., the Internet Explorer distributed byMicrosoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash.) that executes on a client machine 32and accesses the system 10 via a network such as, for example, theInternet 34. According to the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 1, a usermay contact another user via an electronic communication in the form ofan e-mail forwarding feature contained in an e-mail look-up module 19 inthe CGI server 18. The system 10 determines the e-mail address of theintended recipient based on the presence of information that is on a webpage containing a User ID in question (e.g., when a user is auctioningan item in the facility, the ID of the user appears on the web page).When a user clicks on the User ID from the web page, an item number(e.g., designating an item for sale) and the User ID is passedpreferably to an internet server programming interface (ISAPI) todetermine the transactional relationship between the clicked user andthe requester. The ISAPI allows a web server (or other informationserver) to launch and interact with external programs in response torequests from clients. The ISAPI is in the form of dynamic linklibraries (DLLs) which run in the same process space as the web serverand are well known in the art. To determine the transactionalrelationship, the ISAPI retrieves an item number (if available), thenretrieves an associated item record from the database 24, and from thatrecord determines if the requester is a seller or high-bidder on thatitem. The system 10 then displays the appropriate form (e.g., a contactmember form or a form that allows a user to ask a seller a question seeFIG. 8) depending on whether the item is still active or not. If theitem number is not available, the system 10 automatically displays thecontact member form for the user. These forms will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a database diagram illustrating an exemplary database 23,maintained by and accessed via the database engine server 22, that atleast partially implements and supports the auction system 10. Thedatabase 23 is a relational database, and includes a number of tableshaving entries, or records, that are linked by indices and keys. Centralto the database 23 is a user table 40, which contains a record for eachuser of the auction system 10. A user may operate as a seller, buyer, orboth, within the auction system 10. The database 23 also includes itemtables 42 that may be linked to the user table 40. Specifically, theitem tables 42 include a seller items table 44 and a bidder items table46. A user record in the user table 40 may be linked to multiple itemsthat are being, or have been, auctioned via the system 10.

A number of other tables are also shown to be linked to the user table40, namely a user past aliases table 50, a feedback table 52, a bidstable 54, an accounts table 56, and an account balances table 58.

Referring now to FIG. 3, reference numeral 60 shows an exemplaryembodiment of the user table 40 shown in FIG. 2. The user table 60tracks information relating to any given transaction. For instance, theuser table 60 of FIG. 3 has data entry fields for a transaction ID 62,an end date 64, a bidder's User ID 66, a seller's User ID 68, an itemnumber 70, and title 72 of the item for sale. The feedback entry field73 is a field that may be used to track complaints (e.g., SPAMcomplaints) against a particular user. The system 10 may also trackcomplaints against a user by storing the complaints in a complaintcounter data entry field 74. When complaints against a user reach aparticular threshold, sanctions are implemented against the user in amanner that will be described with reference to FIG. 6 below.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, there is shown an exemplary form 100, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention, that allowsusers of an on-line service to engage in non-transactionalcommunications with each other using e-mail.

A non-transactional communication is any communication between users ofan on-line service that does not relate to an active transaction (e.g.,a bid has been placed by the sending user on an item listed by therecipient user) for the purchase or sale of goods and/or services and inwhich both the sending user and the recipient user are parties to thetransaction. The display of e-mail addresses on the site will beprevented to all users not involved in an active transaction. It shouldbe noted that in an active transaction, a seller may view all biddere-mail addresses and the bidder(s) may view the seller's e-mail address.However, the bidder(s) are not able to view other bidder e-mailaddresses. In a closed successful transaction (up to 60 days, in oneembodiment) the seller may view the winning bidder's e-mail address andthe winning bidder may view the seller's e-mail address.

Using the form of FIG. 4A, however, a user not actively involved in atransaction with another user (e.g., actively bidding on an item) maycontact another user via an e-mail forwarding feature. This form appearsonly in cases where a sending user desires to contact a recipient userand where the intended recipient is not involved in a transaction (e.g.,already bidding on an item) with the sending user.

According to the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 4A, users gain access tothe on-line system 10 by entering a user ID (i.e., a password) into aclient machine or computer 32 coupled to the system 10 via a network(e.g., the Internet 34 shown in FIG. 1). A contact user link or a linkfrom the user ID (not shown in this view) opens the message or contactform 100 that allows entry of a subject heading in a subject headingfield 105 and a message in a message field 110. Alternatively, a form isprovided that includes a field to receive a sending user ID. To accessthis form, the sending user is required to log into the system 10 usingthe user ID. In addition, the form may be configured to limit the amountof text that may be entered (e.g., to 2000 characters) and may be ableto limit the number of times messages can be sent per day (e.g., defaultfor 200). Of course, these parameters are flexible and others may beadded where needed. When the sending user clicks on a “send” icon 120,the message entered into the message field 110 is automaticallyforwarded to the recipient user. The recipient user will receive themessage including the sending user's e-mail address so that therecipient user can respond if desired. The message entered into themessage field 110 is sent to the recipient user by an electroniccommunication in the form of an SMS, markup language documentation, aFAX, automated telephone call, or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 4B there is shown a sample form 130 that appearson a user's screen when a user is a party to a transaction with anotheruser according to one embodiment of the present invention. The e-mailaddress 136 of the recipient user is clearly displayed. By clicking onthe recipient's e-mail address 136, the sending user is able to access adata entry field (not shown in this view) to send a message to therecipient with whom the sender is engaged in a transaction.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a sample compliant form 200 forreporting a complaint, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention, to the auction facility regarding an unsolicited e-mail. Theform 200 of FIG. 5 provides functionality in the exemplary form ofcheckboxes to allow recipients of the forwarded messages of FIG. 4A totag the incident as a SPAM complaint and for the on-line service toautomatically provide senders with warnings or educational messagesusing code contained within the system 10. Recipients who click on alink (not shown in this view) are provided with the form and are thenable to classify the reason by selecting one or more checkboxes 221,222, 223, and 224 for their complaint and to send their complaint to anon-line service. Users may also enter comments regarding the complaint.By simply clicking on a “submit” icon 210 or some other type of sendfeature, the complaint is forwarded by the on-line service to theintended recipient of the message.

Additional functionality is provided by the system 10 in that itmonitors the number of SPAM complaints received against a user andtriggers events (e.g., inability to use the feature, warning flags,suspension flags, etc.) based on thresholds, and displays the number ofcomplaints against the user (their complaint level). The system 10captures and stores the SPAM complaint frequency and associates thesewith the user account to allow for enforcement/policing processes aswill be discussed in greater detail with reference to the embodimentillustrated by FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a matrix 300 of the sanctionsimplemented against users who SPAM other users of the on-line service,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, provided bythe system 10. The sanctions embody methods to be performed by acomputer such as a server coupled to client computers (see FIGS. 1 and9). The methods are performed by computer programs that respond tocertain user actions with various sanctions implemented against theusers. Describing the methods by reference to the matrix 300 enables oneskilled in the art to develop such programs including such instructionsto carry out the methods on suitably configured computers. The processorof the computer executes these instructions from computer-readable mediaacting as either a local computer or a remote server. If written in aprogramming language conforming to a recognized standard, suchinstructions can be executed on a variety of hardware platforms and forinterface to a variety of operating systems. In addition, the presentinvention is not described with reference to any particular programminglanguage. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languagesmay be used to implement the teachings of the invention describedherein. Furthermore, it is common in the art to speak of software, inone form or another (e.g., program, procedure, process, application,module, logic, etc.) as taking an action or causing a result. Suchexpressions are merely a shorthand way of saying that execution of thesoftware by a computer causes the processor of the computer to performan action or produce a result. It will be further appreciated that theinstructions represented in the blocks in FIG. 6 are not required to beperformed in the order illustrated, and that all the processingrepresented by the blocks may not be necessary to practice theinvention.

According to the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 6, if a new system user(block 301) is complained against by a SPAM recipient by more than apredetermined threshold, e.g. 1-3 times (block 302), the system 10automatically sends an educational e-mail (block 303) to the sendinguser who sent the SPAM. For example, the warning could state that theon-line service does not tolerate unsolicited commercial e-mail (SPAM)and transaction interference, and will take steps to protect its usersfrom this abuse. The sanction on the sender may be nominal (e.g., thesender may be referred to the on-line service provider's FAQ page (block304)). If the sender of SPAM receives a fourth complaint within sixmonths (block 305), the system 10 automatically sends a warning (block306) to the sender (block 307). If the sending user of SPAM receives afifth complaint in six months (block 308), the system 10 automaticallyprevents the user sending the SPAM from being able to access the e-mailsystem for 30 days (block 309) and sends a message notifying the senderof their suspension (block 310). This particular sender willsubsequently receive an error prompt when clicking on the user ID ofanother user when trying to access the contact form used fornon-transactional communications among users described in the embodimentillustrated by FIG. 4A.

A user who has been blocked from using the feature that allowsforwarding of non-transactional e-mails (see block 311), and that hasbeen reinstated (e.g., 30 days have elapsed as shown in block 312), isallowed to use the feature again. The system 10 re-starts the complaintcounter (block 313) and the user will be able to resume use of thefeature (block 314). The same triggers, actions, and impacts (blocks315, 316, 317, etc.) apply to the reinstated user (block 311) (i.e., onewho has previously been suspended from the system 10 for SPAM) as to thenew user (block 301) of the system 10. Of course, it should beappreciated that the triggers, actions, and impacts described in theembodiment illustrated by FIG. 6 are flexible. For example, in anotherembodiment the sanctions against a new user (block 301) may be entirelydifferent (e.g., less stringent) than the sanctions implemented againsta reinstated user (block 311).

Referring now to FIG. 7A there is shown a diagram of a user-to-usernon-transactional communication flow 400 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. A user clicks on the user ID or “Contact thisUser” link (block 401) and signs on (block 402). The sample contact form100 (see FIG. 4A) that allows the user to engage in a non-transactionalcommunication (e.g., the user has not yet bid on the item the seller haslisted and requires further information) with another user is thenprovided (block 403). The user enters a quick message in the messagefield 110 (e.g., “Hello. I see you are interested in beanies. I have anoffer you won't be able to refuse . . . ”) and clicks the “send” button120 (block 404). The on-line service routes the message to the recipientuser and, if requested by the sender, forwards a copy of the message tothe sending user (block 405). The recipient user receives the messageincluding the sender's e-mail address in a “From: field” (block 406).The recipient proceeds to open the mail (block 407). If the message iswelcome (block 408) then the recipient user communicates directly withthe sending user (block 409). If the recipient user chooses to reportthe message 110 as SPAM (block 410) then the recipient user clicks on alink (block 411) and completes the form 200 (see FIG. 5) for reporting acomplaint to the auction facility of unsolicited e-mail (block 412). Therecipient user sends the form 200 (block 413) by clicking the “submit”icon 210 and the process is complete (block 414).

Referring now to FIG. 7B there is shown a diagram of the user-to-usernon-transactional communication flow of FIG. 7A further includingimplementation of a SPAM prevention feature. As in FIG. 7A, the userclicks on the User ID (block 401) and signs on (block 402). However, inthe flow diagram of FIG. 7B, the system 10 queries whether or not thisuser is a SPAM abuser (block 422) by searching the complaint counter 74in the user table 60 illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, a databasemanagement system in the database server that operates with a knowndatabase language such as structured query language (SQL) may be used tomanage, store, and retrieve information from the user table 60 regardingSPAM complaints against a user (see FIG. 3. The system 10 checks howmany complaints have been associated with the user's account. If theSPAM counter for the user is past a given threshold, the user is unableto access the contact form 100 for non-transactional communications(block 423) and is thus prevented from contacting the intendedrecipient. If the user is not a SPAM abuser, the user may proceed toopen the contact form 100 (block 403), and proceed through the stepspreviously described in FIG. 7A (blocks 404, 405, 406, etc.). If, therecipient wants to report SPAM, the user clicks on a link (block 435)and logs in with a user ID (block 436). The complaint form 200 (see FIG.5) opens (block 437). The user may classify the complaint as SPAM andsubmit the complaint (block 438). The on-line service documents thereport in the sender's file and sends a notice to the sender (block 439)(see FIG. 6). The system 10 is then queried to see if the SPAM triggershould be tripped (e.g., if the user has reached a threshold where theuser has accumulated a certain number of SPAM complaints) (block 440).If the answer to the query is “yes”, then the user's account and furtheruse of the contact form 100 will be prevented (block 442). If the answeris “no”, then the user's account is updated so that the SPAM rating isdisplayed during the user's next use of the system 10 (block 441) andthe process is complete (block 443).

It should be appreciated, of course, that the instructions representedby the blocks in FIGS. 7A and 7B are not required to be performed in theorder illustrated, and that all the processing represented by the blocksmay not be necessary to practice the invention.

As the sending user may not be provided with direct contact information,but merely a user 10 of the recipient, the sending user may be inhibitedfrom contacting the recipient user directly. The system 10 may use theuser ID to obtain direct contact information wherafter the sendinguser's message 110 may be forwarded in an automated fashion to therecipient user.

Referring now to FIG. 8 there is shown a sample form 480 that allows auser of an on-line service to ask a seller a question without revealingthe seller's e-mail address to the user in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The form 480 is presented to a userwho wants to ask the seller a question 485, and the user is assumed tobe a potential bidder. A seller's ID 490 is visible to users on the Website. A link (not shown in this view) to access the form 480 will onlybe visible while the transaction is still active and to high biddersafter successful transactions. The sender may fill out the form 480 andpress a “send” icon 495. The form 480 will be forwarded to the seller bythe on-line service. The seller will receive the e-mail with thesender's return address.

Referring now to FIG. 9 there is shown a further example of a servercomputer system 600 connected to multiple client computers on a network630. It should be understood that although only two client computers 610and 620 are illustrated in this example, in operation it is anticipatedthat essentially any number of client computers may utilize the facility600 through the network 630. A server 640 may include the systemdescribed herein to prevent SPAM being sent to users of an on-lineservice, such as the on-line bidding service described herein. Systemusers may communicate with the system 600 through the Internet 630 usingthe client computers 610 and 620. Although the network 630 is describedherein as being the Internet, alternatively, the network 630 may be acorporate intranet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network(LAN), or any other system of interconnections enabling two or morecomputers to exchange information. Further, the network 630 may includea wireless network, such that one or more of client devices 610 and 620may be wireless devices.

FIG. 10 shows a diagrammatic representation of machine in the exemplaryform of a computer system 500 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one of the methodologies discussedabove, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, the machine maycomprise a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance or anymachine capable of executing a sequence of instructions that specifyactions to be taken by that machine.

The computer system 500 includes a processor 502, a main memory 504 anda static memory 506, which communicate with each other via a bus 508.The computer system 500 may further include a video display unit 510(e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or cathode ray tube (CRT). Thecomputer system 500 also includes an alpha-numeric input device 512(e.g. a keyword), a cursor control device 514 (e.g. a mouse) a diskdrive unit 516, a signal generation device 518 (e.g. a speaker) and anetwork interface device 520.

The disk drive unit 516 includes a machine-readable medium 522 on whichis stored a set of instructions (i.e., software) 524 embodying any one,or all, of the methodologies described above. The software 524 is alsoshown to reside, completely or at least partially, within the maimmemory 504 and/or within the processor 502. The software 524 may furtherbe transmitted or received via the network interface device 520. For thepurposes of this specification, the term “machine-readable medium” shallbe taken to include any medium which is capable of storing or encoding asequence of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause themachine to perform any one of the methodologies of the presentinvention. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be takento included, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical andmagnetic disks, and carriers wave signals.

Thus, a method and a system to control sending of unsolicitedcommunications over a network have been described. Although the presentinvention has been described with reference to specific exemplaryembodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changesmay be made to these embodiments without departing from the broaderspirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to control sending of unsolicitedcommunications relating to a plurality of listings in a network-basedcommerce facility, the method including: presenting at least one listingfor sale via the network-based commerce facility; monitoring a requestfrom a sending user to communicate with a recipient user associated withthe at least one listing for sale; generating, at the network-basedcommerce facility, a contact form to receive a message to becommunicated to the recipient user without the sending user viewingdirect contact information of the recipient user, and communicating thecontact form to the sending user; and communicating, from thenetwork-based commerce facility, an electronic communication includingthe message to the recipient user over the network.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 which includes generating the electronic communication as adocument including a user-selectable link to cause communication of acomplaint form to the recipient user, the complaint form to receivecomplaint information regarding the sending user of an unsolicitedelectronic communication.
 3. The method of claim 2 which includesreceiving and storing the complaint information at the network-basedcommerce facility, and associating the complaint information with thesending user of the unsolicited electronic communication.
 4. The methodof claim 3 wherein the network-based commerce facility imposes sanctionson the sending user of the electronic communication based on frequencyof complaints associated with the sending user.
 5. The method of claim 4wherein the sanctions include not allowing the sending user to send amessage to a recipient user with the contact form when the frequency ofcomplaints associated with the sending user reaches a predeterminedthreshold.
 6. The method of claim 2 wherein the complaint form includesuser-selectable complaint classification information to be includedwithin the complaint information.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein thecomplaint classification information includes identification of an offerto transact outside the network-based commerce facility.
 8. The methodof claim 6 wherein the complaint classification information includes atextual description of the complaint.
 9. The method of claim 1 whereinthe contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field toenter a user ID of the recipient user.
 10. The method of claim 9 whereinthe communicating includes performing a look-up on the user ID.
 11. Themethod of claim 9 wherein the network-based commerce facility parsesinformation entered into the contact form by the sending user to extractthe message and the user ID of the recipient user.
 12. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the network-based commerce facility enables the at leastone sending and recipient user to engage in transactional communicationsrelating to a transactional process in which the at least one sendingand recipient user is already engaged, and to engage innon-transactional communications unrelated to the transactional processand in which the users are not yet engaged.
 13. The method of claim 12wherein the transactional process is one of a group of transactionalprocesses including an auction process and a fixed price process. 14.The method of claim 1 which includes providing a form accessible fromthe network-based commerce facility allowing a user to send another usera question regarding a bidding transaction without the sending userviewing the e-mail address of the recipient user.
 15. The method ofclaim 14 which includes forwarding the form including the question tothe recipient user by the network-based commerce facility via e-mailover the network.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating ofthe contact form is responsive to sending of a user ID of the recipientuser to the network-based commerce facility.
 17. The method of claim 16wherein the sending of the contact form includes a selection by thesending user of a link associated with the recipient user.
 18. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the electronic communication includes any oneof a group of electronic communications including SMS, markup languagedocumentation, FAX, and automated telephone calls.
 19. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the direct contact information includes any one of agroup of information types including fax, postal, e-mail, network, andtelephone contact information.
 20. The method of claim 1 wherein usersgain access to the network-based commerce facility with a user ID, theuser ID being visible to the other users of the network-based commercefacility.
 21. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-based commercefacility associates a user ID of the recipient user with an e-mailaddress of the recipient user, the contact form being communicated tothe e-mail address associated with the user ID selected by the sendinguser.
 22. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-based commercefacility is a bidding service and the contact form relates to anon-transactional communication wherein the sending user is not engagedin a bidding transaction with the recipient user.
 23. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the users access the network-based commerce facilityusing one or more client computers coupled to the facility over thenetwork.
 24. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet.25. A network-based commerce system comprising: a listing server topresent to a user at least one listing for sale via the network-basedcommerce system; a page server to monitor a request from a sending userto communicate with a recipient user associated with the at least onelisting for sale and to generate a contact form, the contact form toreceive a message from the sending user to be communicated over thenetwork to the recipient user without the sending user viewing directcontact information of the recipient user; and a communications serverto communicate an electronic communication including the message overthe network.
 26. The system of claim 25 wherein the electroniccommunication is generated as a document including a user-selectablelink to cause communication of a complaint form to the recipient user,the complaint form to receive complaint information regarding thesending user of an unsolicited electronic communication.
 27. The systemof claim 26 wherein the network-based commerce system receives andstores the complaint information and associates the complaintinformation with the sending user of the unsolicited electroniccommunication.
 28. The system of claim 27 wherein the network-basedcommerce system imposes sanctions on the sending user of the electroniccommunication based on frequency of complaints associated with thesending user.
 29. The system of claim 28 wherein the sanctions includenot allowing the sending user to send a message to a recipient user withthe contact form when the frequency of complaints associated with thesending user reaches a predetermined threshold.
 30. The system of claim26 wherein the complaint form includes user-selectable complaintclassification information to be included within the complaintinformation.
 31. The system of claim 30 wherein the complaintclassification information includes identification of an offer totransact outside the network-based commerce system.
 32. The system ofclaim 30 wherein the complaint classification information includes atextual description of the complaint.
 33. The system of claim 25 whereinthe contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field toenter a user ID of the recipient user.
 34. The system of claim 33wherein the electronic communication includes performing a look-up onthe user ID.
 35. The system of claim 33 wherein the network-basedcommerce system parses information entered into the contact form by thesending user to extract the message and the user ID of the recipientuser.
 36. The system of claim 25 wherein the page server enables a userto engage in transactional communications related to ban activetransactional process in which users are already engaged, and to engagein non-transactional communications unrelated to the transactionalprocess and in which the users are not yet engaged.
 37. The system ofclaim 36 wherein the transactional process is any one of a group oftransactional processes including an auction process and a fixed priceprocess.
 38. The system of claim 25 wherein the generating of thecontact form is responsive to sending of a user ID of the recipient userto the network-based commerce system.
 39. The system of claim 38 whereinthe sending of the contact form includes a selection by the sending userof a link associated with the recipient user.
 40. The system of claim 25wherein the network-based commerce system includes a form accessiblefrom the network-based commerce system allowing a user to send anotheruser a question regarding a bidding transaction without the sending userviewing the e-mail address of the recipient user.
 41. The system ofclaim 40 wherein the form including the question is forwarded to therecipient user by the network-based commerce system via e-mail over thenetwork.
 42. The system of claim 25 wherein the electronic communicationincludes any one of a group of electronic communications including SMS,markup language documentation, FAX, and automated telephone calls. 43.The system of claim 25 wherein the direct contact information includesany one of a group of information types including FAX, postal, e-mail,network, and telephone contact information.
 44. The system of claim 25wherein users gain access to the network-based commerce system with auser ID, the user ID being visible to the other users of thenetwork-based commerce system.
 45. The system of claim 25 wherein thenetwork-based commerce system associates a user ID of the recipient userwith an e-mail address of the recipient user, the contact form beingcommunicated to the e-mail address associated with a user ID selected bythe sending user.
 46. The system of claim 25 wherein the network-basedcommerce system is a bidding service and the contact form is utilized bya sending user not engaged in a bidding transaction with a recipientuser.
 47. The system of claim 25 wherein the users access thenetwork-based commerce system using one or more client computers coupledto the system over the network.
 48. A machine-readable storage mediumtangibly embodying a sequence of instructions executable by a machine toperform a method for controlling the sending of unsolicitedcommunications relating to a plurality of listings in a network-basedcommerce facility, the method comprising: presenting at least onelisting for sale to a user via the network-based commerce facility;monitoring a request from a sending user to communicate with a recipientuser associated with the at least one listing for sale; generating atthe network-based commerce facility, a contact form to receive a messageto be communicated to the recipient user without the sending userviewing direct contact information of the recipient user andcommunicating the contact form to the sending user; and communicatingfrom the network-based commerce facility, an electronic communicationincluding the message to the recipient user over the network.
 49. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 48 which includes generatingthe electronic communication as a document including a user-selectablelink to cause communication of a complaint form to the recipient user,the complaint form to receive complaint information regarding thesending user of an unsolicited electronic communication.
 50. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 49 which includes receiving andstoring the complaint information by the network-based commercefacility, and associating the complaint information with the sendinguser of the unsolicited electronic communication.
 51. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 50 wherein the network-basedcommerce facility imposes sanctions on the sending user of theelectronic communication based on frequency of complaints associatedwith the sending user.
 52. The machine-readable storage medium of claim51 wherein the sanctions include not allowing the sending user to send amessage to a recipient user with the contact form when the frequency ofcomplaints associated with the sending user reaches a predeterminedthreshold.
 53. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 49 whereinthe complaint form includes user-selectable complaint classificationinformation to be included within the complaint information.
 54. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 53 wherein the complaintclassification information includes identification of an offer totransact outside the network-based commerce facility.
 55. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 53 wherein the complaintclassification information includes a textual description of thecomplaint.
 56. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 whereinthe contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field toenter a user ID of the recipient user.
 57. The machine-readable storagemedium of claim 56 wherein the communicating includes performing alook-up on the user ID recipient user.
 58. The machine-readable storagemedium of claim 57 wherein the network-based commerce facility parsesinformation entered into the contact form by the sending user to extractthe message and the user ID of the recipient user.
 59. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network-basedcommerce facility is to enable a user to engage in transactionalcommunications relating to an active transactional process in whichusers are already engaged, and to engage in non-transactionalcommunications unrelated to the transactional process and in which theusers have not vet engaged.
 60. The machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 59 wherein the transactional process is any one of a group oftransactional processes including an auction process and a fixed priceprocess.
 61. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein thegenerating of the contact form is responsive to sending of a user ID ofthe recipient user to the network-based commerce facility.
 62. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 61 wherein the sending of thecontact form includes a selection by the sending user of a linkassociated with the recipient user.
 63. The machine-readable storagemedium of claim 48 which includes providing a form accessible from thenetwork-based commerce facility allowing a user to send another user aquestion regarding a bidding transaction without the sending userviewing the e-mail address of the recipient user.
 64. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 63 which includes forwardingthe form including the question to the recipient user by thenetwork-based commerce facility via e-mail over the network.
 65. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the electroniccommunication includes any one of a group of electronic communicationsincluding SMS, markup language documentation, FAX, and automatedtelephone calls.
 66. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48wherein the direct contact information includes any one of a group ofinformation types including fax, postal, e-mail, network, and telephonecontact information.
 67. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48wherein users gain access to the network-based commerce facility with auser ID, the user ID being visible to the other users of thenetwork-based commerce facility.
 68. The machine-readable storage mediumof claim 48 wherein the network-based commerce facility associates auser ID of the recipient user with an e-mail address of the recipientuser, the contact form being communicated to the e-mail addressassociated with a user ID selected by the sending user.
 69. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network-basedcommerce facility is a bidding service and the contact form is utilizedby a sending user not engaged in a bidding transaction with a recipientuser.
 70. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein theusers access the network-based commerce facility using one or moreclient computers coupled to the facility over the network.
 71. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network is theInternet.
 72. A network-based commerce system to control sending ofunsolicited communication over a network, the system including: meansfor presenting to a user at least one listing for sale via thenetwork-based commerce system; means for monitoring a request from asending user to communicate with a recipient user associated with atleast one of the plurality of listings for sale and for generating, acontact form to receive a message to be communicated to the recipientuser without the sending user viewing direct contact information of therecipient user and communicating the contact form to the sending user;and means for communicating at a network-based commerce system, anelectronic communication including the message to the recipient userover the network.
 73. The system of claim 72 wherein the contact formincludes a field to receive the message and a field to enter a user IDof the recipient user.
 74. The system of claim 73 wherein thecommunicating includes performing a look-up on the user ID of therecipient user.
 75. The system of claim 73 wherein the network-basedcommerce system parses information entered into the contact form by thesending user to extract the message and the user ID of the recipientuser.
 76. The system of claim 72 wherein the network-based commercesystem is to enable a user to engage in transactional communicationsrelating to an active transactional process in which users are alreadyengaged, and non-transactional communications unrelated to thetransactional process and in which the users are not yet engaged. 77.The system of claim 76 wherein the transactional process is any one of agroup of transactional processes including an auction process and afixed price process.